[Ct-nfb] FW: Washington

[Elizabeth Rival]

see below for why blind persons in ct. bother to go to Washington D.C. next
week . Beth  

 

From: Elizabeth Rival [mailto:erival at comcast.net] 
Sent: Wednesday, January 13, 2016 1:39 PM
To: 'Elizabeth Rival'
Subject: Washington 

 

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is the oldest and largest
nationwide organization of blind people. We represent the collective views
of the 1.3 million blind Americans. All of our leaders and the vast majority
of our members are blind, but anyone can participate in our movement.

The Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful Employment Act (HR 188, S
2001)

Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act allows employers to pay
workers with disabilities subminimum wage because of the false assumption
that they are less productive than nondisabled workers. This antiquated
provision breeds low expectations and discourages disabled Americans from
reaching their full vocational potential. HR 188 and S 2001 will responsibly
phase out the use of Section 14(c) Special Wage Certificates, ending the era
of segregated, subminimum wage work.

The Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (AIM HE) Act

Electronic instructional materials have replaced traditional methods of
learning in postsecondary education, but the overwhelming majority of
ebooks, courseware, web content, and other technologies are inaccessible to
students with print disabilities. The law requires equal access in the
classroom but fails to provide direction to schools for the way it applies
to technology. AIM HE creates voluntary accessibility guidelines for
educational technology to improve blind students' access to course material,
stimulate the market, and reduce litigation for schools.

Equal Access to Air Travel for Service-Disabled Veterans (HR 2264)

The Space Available Program allows active-duty military, Red Cross
employees, and retired members of the armed services to travel on military
aircraft if space is available. HR 2264 reverses the exclusion of 100
percent service-disabled veterans who were discharged before September 23,
1996, and entitles them to the program's privileges even though they were
never classified as "retired."

The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who
Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled

Despite the ability to convert print books into accessible formats like
Braille, large print, audio, and digital copies, millions of blind and
otherwise print-disabled Americans are excluded from accessing 95 percent of
published works. The Marrakesh Treaty calls for contracting parties to
provide in their national copyright laws for a limitation or exception that
allows for the reproduction, distribution, and cross-border exchange of
accessible works.

 

 

 

 

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